Worst Case: Browns Finish 5-11

Of course, there's a slight problem with assuming Chudzinski will do with this offense what he did with Carolina's: The personnel is much different.

Carolina had Cam Newton, an exciting signal-caller capable of making huge plays with his legs. Cleveland has Brandon Weeden, a pocket passer with a monster arm.

The Panthers were built on speed, while the Browns are built, for now, on power and a pro-style offense.

If Chudzinski's success proves to be a product of a speedy quarterback and an option offense, then it wouldn't be surprising to see the Browns spin their wheels and stay in the same place in the AFC North.

Best Case: Chudzinski Takes Brandon Weeden to the Next Level

No matter who's on the sideline, it's fairly clear that this team will go as far as its quarterback takes it. For now, that makes Brandon Weeden the most important Brown in the land.

While there will be an obvious concern about the 29-year-old being a much different player than Cam Newton, there are two things worth noting here.

First of all, during his stint as offensive coordinator with the Browns in 2007, Chudzinski led Derek Anderson to 3,787 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions as Cleveland rolled to a 10-win season.

Second, while Cam Newton makes headlines for his ability to run the ball, he still threw for nearly 8,000 yards and 40 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Chudzinski doesn't rely on a speed quarterback; he just adapted to that system because that was Newton's best strength. If he can find the right system for Weeden and lead him to a Derek Anderson-type season, that would be crucial for the Browns' development.

Worst Case: Brandon Weeden Doesn't Develop

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

For as good as Chudzinski made the Browns in 2007, he took that big of a step back in 2008.

Derek Anderson threw for 1,615 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ken Dorsey, Brady Quinn and Bruce Gradkowski were forced to log time under center, and they were all just as bad—if not worse—than Anderson.

Moreover, the Browns won just four games.

If Weeden takes a step back under Chudzinski like that this year, the Browns don't have the benefit of being patient. Weeden is obviously an old rookie, and should he do anything but improve, the pressure to replace him will be strong.

Should that happen, that means Chudzinski and Co. will likely have to go to the draft for yet another quarterback, which would be a true worst-case scenario.

Best Case: Trent Richardson Becomes a Pro Bowler

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It was an up-and-down rookie season for Trent Richardson. He suffered through a lack of carries and several different injuries, but he still finished with more than 1,300 total yards and 12 touchdowns.

There's no questioning T-Pain's talent. His upside is top-three running back in the league.

In 2007, Chudzinski game-planned Jamal Lewis to 298 carries for 1,304 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He may not have handled the dual-backfield situation in Carolina as well as many were hoping, but DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were productive nonetheless.

Worst Case: Trent Richardson Doesn't Improve

I think it's probably safe to say that what Richardson did this season was his floor.

However, if Chudzinski gets too concerned with developing Weeden or keeping a balanced offense, Richardson won't get the carries he deserves and will fail to improve.

Essentially, while it's important that Weeden and the passing game is used to keep defenses honest, Richardson needs to be the focus of this offense. The worst-case scenario would be for Chudzinski to fail to make that happen.

Best Case: Browns Average 24 Points Per Game

Let's not kid ourselves. This hire was all about offense. Chudzinski was successful in Cleveland, and he was successful in Carolina—both times as an offensive coordinator.

Now he'll be expected to do more of the same.

If Chud is as much of an offensive mastermind as he has proven to be in the past, this team has the potential to average 24 points per game, which would be an upgrade of about five points from the 2012 season.

Brandon Weeden to Josh Gordon can be one of the most dangerous deep threats in the game. Trent Richardson is a rare talent. The offensive line is improving quickly.

Worse Case: Browns Average 19 Points Per Game

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

It's hard to imagine this being possible, but there's always the chance of young players negatively responding to a new coaching staff.

Pairing young, talented offensive weapons with a new offensive-minded coach is a good recipe to live by, but if everyone doesn't gel together perfectly, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Browns produce similar numbers to what they did in 2012.